Module 5: Islam Flashcards
Module 5:1
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Bedouin
- Small nomadic tribes who moved around, grazing their animals, which included sheep, goats, and camels.
- very significant political and military force because of the possession of great physical strength and strategies, and their control of trade and communication.
Ka’ba
a temple containing a black stone thought to be God’s dwelling place. Muhammad’s roots of religion
Qu’ran
collection of Muhammad’s preaches written down by scribes which held much authority, revised for its sacred message and beauty of the Arabic language.
- the sacred book of Islam
hadith
collection of the sayings of or anecdotes about Muhammad
Sunna
the “trodden path”, refers to deeds and sayings of Muhammad that constitutes the obligatory example of Muslim life
Compare the power and societies of the northern and southern tribes.
Northern tribes: strongest warriors held much power and they led the tribal confederacy
Southern tribes: the priests held the power with religious and economic power
Name the Five Pillars of Faith.
- reciting a profession of faith in God and in Muhammad as God’s prophet
- praying 5 times daily
- fasting and praying during the month of Ramadan
- making a pilgrimmage to Mecca once in one’s lifetime
- contributing Alms to the poor
What does Islam mean?
surrender to god
What does Muslim mean?
a person who submits
In addition to the Pillars, list four teachings of Islam.
- Do not drink alcoholic beverages and don’t indulge in gambling
- Lending money & condemns taking advantage of high market demand by charging high prices (price gouging)
- Licentious behavior by both sexes is prohibited
- During Judgement Day, God would decide and draw a line between the saved and the “damned.”
Muhammad was initially a what? Where did he begin preaching his ideas from God’s revelations?
Muhammad was initially a merchant and wanted to preach God’s revelations to the people of Mecca.
Islams initially flourished in a _____
merchantile milieu
What was the main element which helped excel the spread of the faith of Muhammad?
Commerce and trade
Muslim _______’s products of _______ influenced the development of the Eastern and Western civilizations.
- scholars
- mathematics, philosophy, medicine
What became the economic and cultural center of Western Arabia?
Mecca
The _____ which Islam spread is one of the most amazing stories in world history.
Speed
Alongside trade and commerce, what were 2 other reasons for the fast growth of Islam?
- the religious want of new converts
- political weaknesses of other governments in the region
On the basis of wealth that trade generated, culture developed centrally in which areas?
Cordoba, Baghdad
Which peninsula covers a million miles, and is mostly filled with deserts?
Arabian Peninsula
Why did farming prevail in Southwestern mountain valleys?
Because of their ample rainfall
What was the basic social unit of the Bedouins and Arabs? What did they provide?
TRIBES
- provided protection, support, and were returned with members’ total loyalties
What did nomads in Arabia depend on when there were goods that they couldn’t produce?
agriculturally-productive communities
How did nomads in Arabia gain additional income?
- desert guides
- guards for caravans
- selling livestock, milk, hair, hides
Why did all Arabs respect the Shrine?
they served as neutral places for settling disputes between tribes
What was the goal of Muhammad?
To bind together different tribal groups into one unified, strong state
The earliest account of the life of Muhammad comes from ____
oral traditions passed down among followers
Who did Muhammad marry?
Khadija, a widow
In a cave in the hills near Mecca, what was Muhammad’s vision?
An angelic being who commanded him to preach the revelations that God would be sending him after
What did Muhammad do after his vision?
He urged the people to give up on their personal ideals and submit to the one God
How old was Muhammad when he received the vision?
He was 40 years old
caliph
The political and religious successors after Muhammad
Allah
oneness and omnipotence of one God
According to the Qu’ran, Prophet Muhammad descended from who?
Adam, the first man
According to the Qu’ran, who built the Ka’ba?
Prophet Abraham
Muslims believe they worship the same God as Jews and Christians. TRUE OR FALSE?
TRUE
Muhammad insisted that he doesn’t preach new messages but _____
is calling people back to the one true God and to return to the faith of Abraham
What is different about the Qu’ran compared to the New and Old Testament?
it is issued in God’s name.
What was different about Muslim punishments and Frankish Law in terms of punishments regarding sexual conduct?
Frankish Law punished prostitutes but not the clients. Muslim law punished both men and women fairly.
The Qur’an states that the holy writings of Jews and Christians represented divine revelation but claims that they also ____
tampered with the books of God
M5:2
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Umma
those whose primary identity and bond was a common religious faith, not a tribal tie
- “Community”
Diwan
an administrative organ adopted from Persians or Byzantines
- “Government”
Imam
leader in community prayer
Ulama
a group of religious “scholars” whom Sunnis trust to interpret the Qu’ran and the Sunna
Sharia
Muslim “law”, consists of social, political, religious, and criminal matters/offenses
Vizier
position that Abbasides adopted from the Persians
- the caliph’s “chief assistant”
Who were the major powers dividing the Middle East at the start of the Islamic expansion?
- Greek-Byzantine Empire at Constantinople, concentrated Christianity
- Persian-Sassanid Empire at Ctesiphole, concentrated Zoroastrianism
Describe the Islamic onslaught in the region.
Umar and Uthman launched a two-prolonged attack against the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires. Muslims conquered Egypt, then Alexandria in 642.
Identify several reasons for the remarkable spread of Islam.
- Arab’s military advantages and the political weaknesses of their opponents
- Europeans thought it was because of the “jihad”, or struggle.
- Muslims thought God supported their faith and helped Islam’s spread.
Sunnis
group of people who accepted Mu’awiya as a caliph
Shiites
supporters of Ali arguing that he was the successor of Muhammad because Ali was his cousin and son-in-law, and he was appointed leader of the community prayer.
What distinguishes the Sunnis from the Shiites?
- Both believed that Islam lies first in the Qu’ran and the Sunna.
- However, Sunnies believed that the ulama determined the interpretations of the Sunna, but the Shiites believed that imam interprets it
Sunnis believed that the _____ determined the interpretations of the Sunna.
ULAMA
Shiites believed that the _____ determined the interpretations of the Sunna.
IMAM
How did the Abbasid Caliphate differ from the Umayyad Caliphate?
- Abbasid Caliphate established basis of law and citizenship and was a more cosmopolitan and Islamic government. They focused mostly on expansion of knowledge.
- Umayyad Caliphate was a pleasure-loving, narrow, elite, and Arab-based government. They focused mostly on military expansion.
What was the impact of the Turks in the Islamic Civilization?
The Turks gave needed military strength to Islamic civilization, and had a big role in restoring Jerusalem, helping fight the crusades.
Turks later became ____ and ran against _____, converting _____ in Anatolia to Islams.
a. Sunnis
b. Shiites
c. Christians
What was the impact of Mongols in the Islamic civilization?
The Mongols invaded the lands and conquered, taking Baghdad. Killed a lot of the old leaders and brought new leadership to Islam. Known to be one of the most fierce groups in the Islamic civilization.
Hijra
Muhammad’s journey to Medina North
- “emigration”
What resulted in the growth of Muslim states?
the fighting of Byzantine and Sassanians, resulting in conflicts between near societies and the growth of Muslim states
What marked the collapse of the Sassanid Empire?
Muslims defeated Persia at Nihawand in 642.
Most of Muhammad’s new believers were ______
Bedouins
What became the center of Muslim control (a) over eastern Persia after the Muslims conquered ____ (b)?
a. city of Merv
b. Khurasan
What was the farthest Islamic penetration into Central Asia?
The clash of Muslim horsemen with a Chinese army at the Talas River in 751
Syria’s ________(a) attracted Muslims, and Muhammad saw the land as a potential means of support for the ______ (b).
a. economic prosperity
b. the poor who flooded to Medina
Neither the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires had
religious unity
What two important sites did Syria contain?
- Jerusalem, where Jesus and prophets mentioned in the Qu’ran lived
- Hebron, the burial place of Abraham
What is one of the greatest achievements of medieval Islam?
creation of the Islamic law
what did Umar do? (individually)
exert his authority over the Bedouin tribes